Timing, as we all know, is essential to success in sport. A millisecond layer and a home run becomes a pop up, a blink too soon and a NASCAR driver ends up being entangled with a rival just in front of him, a small flinch and an birdie ends up being just par. So it also is in “The Beautiful Game,” where a perfectly timed pass can become the difference between score and shutout.

This week that timing was on full display off the pitch, as Manchester City, Major League Soccer and the New York Yankees announced a long rumored deal to bring the 20th MLS franchise to New York City. The deal pushed soccer to the front pages of every newspaper and broadcast outlet, created buzz and excitement in the New York City area that hasn’t been seen for soccer really since the original Cosmos…the ones that played games vs. the brand out there now as a marketing machine to start play in the lower tier NASL later this summer…last took the turf at Giants Stadium.

Part of the excitement was that interesting mix of timing…the announcement fell miraculously at a point on the sports calendar where hoops was finished with the Knicks exit from the playoffs over the weekend, the Jets and Giants in a lull before offseason workouts begin, the Yankees on the road, two of the three NHL teams done and the Rangers coming close to ending the season, and no extraordinary other sports events, not even wrestling this week in Grand Central Station or a mega WWE show to contend with. The Red Bulls were even quiet, having played a marquee matchup with the LA Galaxy over the weekend, and even fans of global soccer were waiting for this weekend’s Champions League matchup. It was a rare spot where crickets could be heard through the usual noise of a spring sports week in Gotham, and fit well with Man City’s exhibition which is to be played Saturday against rival Chelsea at Yankee Stadium already on the calendar. A better stage could not have been set from a timing perspective.

 So what does all this mean for brand soccer and for sport both in America and in New York? Lots potentially. First, unless someone has a few billion and yet another new ballpark, New York City Football Club will probably be the last major sports franchise startup in new York, the world’s biggest marketplace. With nine professional teams already, it would be hard to see where a new one will come from, unless a sport like cricket or rugby rise up in the future.

 NYCFC will also benefit from the pluses and minuses of several of the most successful sports startups in recent years, all of whom have occurred in Major League Soccer. Borrowing a bit from Seattle and Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, the New York franchise from a business perspective can build a support base, a technology strategy, a sales platform, and a community and education initiative that could raise awareness and make the club a part of the community well before the first ball is struck on the pitch.  Brands limited in their exposure to soccer in the tri-state can get a chance to engage with a growing soccer audience, and perhaps the influence of a club associated with Man City can even bring in a few new global brands looking to engage in American sport as well.

 The club will also benefit from the insiders of New York sport business, from the Yankees led by Randy Levine, and partner Legends Hospitality, led by Dave Checketts, on what buttons to push, what hands to shake, what backs to slap and what protocol to be followed when navigating the treacherous waters of both politics and Madison Avenue. They also will have the support and focus of Manchester City, a club which has expanded their brand well beyond where the club was founded over 100 years ago and is now continuing to raise as one of the elite global sports properties. The brand extensions Barclays Premier League clubs are now outing into a soccer-savvy North American market go way beyond TV rights and kit sales. They include training events, regular tours, social media experiments, and in the case of Manchester City, the opening of schools in select cities which combine soccer with education and life skills to not only form a young fan base, but solid community citizens as well.  The combination of insiders who know the market and outsiders who know enough to work with insiders, all with deep pockets, and a long term global vision, make the matchup pretty intriguing.

 Are there going to be challenges? You bet. The buzz that was generated this week was a great blessing, but also ratcheted up expectations way beyond what was probably originally planned, at least at the start. Manchester City plays in the world’s most elite league, MLS, even with all its growth, is by the admission of Commissioner Don Garber, still on a plan to make the league one of the most elite sometimes in the next 10 years. In a world where fans and brands want ROI in 10 minutes and expect the best on and off the pitch, that is a challenge, but one that MLS has managed well to this point in their history.

 The marketplace itself has great opportunity, but also great risk. There are thousands of young people playing the game, especially east of Manhattan, whose exposure to professional soccer is still only on television. The Red Bulls, even with a gleaming facility and the deep pockets of their owners, have built a solid core fan base mostly in New Jersey but still have not embraced the casual fan across the Hudson or even further away. They also have not solved the issue of bringing global fans to their Harrison home on a consistent basis. That grassroots outreach on a daily basis from the schools to the pubs, will be essential for NYCFC to score before they get started playing matches, and even with that core embraced, they will have to compete in the most crowded and most expensive marketplace for sport on the planet. Battle the Red Bulls and maybe the Cosmos a bit for fans and media attention? Sure. But try battling the Knicks and the Mets and the Yankees and the Nets and the Rangers etc etc…in the spring, and then the Jets and the Giants in the fall. It won’t be easy, but by seeding the market continually with looks behind the scenes, and keeping buzz surrounding the building of the club and the community, NYCFC has a chance to embrace and create momentum regardless of on field results. Ironically two examples of sport clubs doing just that in the area are not that far away. The Cosmos, who have yet to play a game, stole lots of marketing thunder from the established Red Bulls by constantly creating business noise this past year, while the Nets, in their move from New Jersey to Brooklyn, used a barrage of communications to always keep the franchise top of mind with the media. Those two, along with best practices of their MLS startup bretheran and some to be planned specific publicity stunts, would be essential for bringing the brand into the limelight as launch date approaches.

 Then where to play? Having the blessing of an outgoing Mayor and the support of the Yankees business team and others on the inside of New York will be a big help, but funding the right spot to draw young people as well as a melting pot of fans who love the game, and doing it at an affordable price, will be very intriguing, and one of the biggest battles to fight.

 Even with those mountains to climb, the idea of a New York startup with a global entity…several in Man City and the Yankees…is really interesting for all involved in sport and sport business. City made a few nice first steps this week, hiring a local soccer hero who has seen success on both sides of the pond in Claudio Reyna. They showed their commitment to youth by doing the announcement at the Harlem school they have embraced. They put forth a multi-ethnic front by doing interviews in the English and Spanish, they sent players far and wide for interviews, and even dropped in on the regular tenants of Yankee Stadium for their game Tuesday night for a first pitch and another round of media interviews. By the way the Yankees opponent that night? The Toronto Blue Jays, another fortuitous bounce in the international sports world, to have the only non-American team in MLB also in the house at a time when such a mega-international announcement was being made.

 This is surely not the first intercontinental marriage between U.S, brands and soccer. It’s not even the first for the Yankees, who had a short-lived partnership with Manchester United several years ago. From the Glazers to Fenway Sports Group to others, American business has invested in global soccer of the highest quality. It is however, the first time the investment has really come back across the pond.

 The first match also will not be played tomorrow, it is still a few years off, and that amount of time will also play in the favor of a successful launch for the brand now that the announcement is done. However the clock is now ticking, and to be the elite brand launch, the happening, the spectacle that this needs to be, every second will be needed.

 It is fun to think of the possibilities and where this could lead in global sports. There was even the story of the Yankees taking baseball to England, although that type of brand expansion is more of a sidebar than the focus of expanding the soccer audience in the States, which becomes more passionate every day.

 Yes there are lots of details to be worked out, but timing in sport is everything, and if this week was an example, then the newest addition to the sports landscape in America, and maybe the last in the New York area, has hit a first pitch homer, or scored an early first half goal, like few before it. Welcome NYCFC, we will be watching more for the success to be innovative as a business at first than for wins, draws and losses on the field .

Two weeks ago there was an uproar that a good part of the press box at Churchill Downs had ceded use to luxury seats. Less media, so out the space to work. Unfortunately in most of the horse racing tracks around the country, the press, let alone the press box, could be gone and few would notice.

While the NTRA is doing its best to infuse excitement and enthusiasm and value into elite racing, the fact remains that horse racing as it stands today probably still has too many tracks and too much competition to make it a viable business in its current form.  The powers that be realize it at the top, and are chopping away to make the experience fun, fan friendly, and different than what it has been in the past, but they can’t do it alone.

So enter Lone Star Park near Dallas, Tx.  The track continues to draw well on most days, and like other tracks that are looking to market, has gone the way of promotions, concerts and other events to draw in casual fans, families and others who may have misconceptions about a day at the races.

However even with all that effort, the press box remained unclaimed territory, and the track’s social footprint was nil. Some may say the reason for no social footprint  was reflective of a clientele that is graying with little use or knowledge of anything digital. However even an older population is now more digital savvy, and to ho and het younger you have to fish where the fish are.   

Enter Chris Yates and his team at Huddle Productions.  A long time television producer, Yates worked with Lone Star to take over the press box and use it as a social media center for those around the track, and for a new audience of casual fans who may look to engage. The tie between races leant naturally to announcements  of how and what to do in the social space to learn more about all the goings on during race day. Mini cameras provided new video postings to websites with thrilling finishes and fan goings-in and promotional winners. Promotional boards once blank alerted followers to hashtags and Facebook pages, and strategic placements in the social space, working with anyone around the track who was already engaging in the medium from jockeys to bettors to concert acts, boosted the buzz and awareness of everything Lone Star.

Those in the stands are encouraged to upload video that Lone Star can post…have a birthday announcement, let’s have a jockey give you a shoutout.  Want some tips on the field in the third race, the social media team heads out to get some info, all of which is metered and shared with a world of engaged supporters around the Dallas area.

The result? Impressions on content when to three million in week one, a concert series which was doing OK, expanded its attendance, and Huddle brought value to even casual followers who never thought they would engage in the goings-on at a racetrack. The content was fun, informative and very promotable, with minimal cost and lots of upside.

Now the social press box or a blogger box is not new. It was really pioneered in the pro space by then Islanders PR head Chris Botta as a way to use the empty space he had, and Yates has taken that example and multiplied for Lone Star.  The goal for Lone Star is more affinity and awareness to its brand and the work at the track, with the hope even down the road of a brand latching on to the social traffic for its own promotions. Heck with some luck, Yates may even put himself out of business, if Lone Star’s numbers rose and they need to repurpose the space for spectators and brands, ala Churchill Downs.

However for now, a track that was short on non-traditional outreach found an enterprising niche to help expand its footprint, and show that the social in social media can have great value beyond the traditional marketing spend.

One of the credos, at least in the business world, that I try to implement all the time was first told to me by my grandfather, Joe Sgro. Joe was an accountant by trade, educated at Boy’s High and St. John’s University and by many accounts the unofficial Mayor of South Brooklyn when I was young. He did lots of favors for people and was a pillar of the community. Especially in the political world of the Borough. He was a key member of the South Brooklyn Democratic Club, and I have vivid memories after 12:15 mass on Sundays where many of the people looking for influence in business or politics would stop by for a few minutes. He didn’t speak a lot, but he listened, and results often came. One of the key things he mentioned to me on several occasions as those around him were yelling and screaming for attention was “You have to ears and one mouth, so listen twice more than you speak.”

This past week there were two examples of leaders and innovators who I came across that were great examples of what can happen when you listen more to those around you. The first was in a New York Times story on baseball owner/promoter/innovator Mike Veeck. Veeck, in addition to coming from a healthy bloodline of baseball businessmen/promoters and innovators (one that is continuing on with his son “Night Train,” now working for the White Sox) is a great listener and thinker, one who gets a great deal of ideas, files them away and then strategically finds the right place to unveil them. The latest happened a few weeks ago with his American Association team, the St. Paul Saints, which held a baseball game without umpires.   There was a ceremonial judge behind the mound, fans chimed in on close calls, and a great deal of fun, sponsorable fun was had, with the independent league team. The game was similar to something his dad, the late Bill Veeck, had done, with some on field decisions decided by fans when he owned the St. Louis Browns, and it was certainly something Veeck could not have done with one of his affiliated clubs like the Charleston Riverdogs, but it made for a buzzworthy and thought provoking game, a throwback to what the roots of baseball as a game are supposed to be.

So why is listening so important? Because in addition to being a smart businessman, Veeck is also a teacher. He teaches sports marketing at The Citadel, and the idea for the umpireless game came from one of his students, a place where he gets a great deal of his inspiration. The young teach the teachers, because he took the time to listen.

The second example occurred last Thursday in a windowless conference room in Atlanta. I was invited to come down and talk to some legendary figures in the sports business about a potential opportunity, and to hear their concerns and thoughts about the forward-looking project. The room was filled with some of the greatest names in sports, all talking over each other and swapping stories. However as business plans were rolled out, one venerable leader sat quietly taking copious notes and asking questions about the details of the idea. His name is Johnny Majors, the Hall of Fame football coach from The University of Tennessee. Majors sat and listened and used a note pad for page after page of notes. He could have told more stories than anyone in the room, but instead he came to learn from those much younger than he about the business world of today. The teacher learns from the student.

Listen twice more than you speak.

In a world today that is all about shouting down  your opponents and proclaiming oneself to be the guru, the innovator, and the biggest and the brightest, it is great to have been able to see and read within 24 hours, two examples of leadership that involved listening and then executing, as opposed to running off to try and be first without thought.  Both of these men have accomplished more in a lifetime than almost anyone in their chosen field, yet they are still listening, and learning from those around them.

My grandpa would have been proud of Mr. Veeck and Coach Majors, as I’m sure so many thousands of people they have influenced in the past and in the future are and will be as well.  It’s the little things that you hear when you listen that can sometimes make the biggest difference, and in a world where self-proclamation is king, taking the time to listen to others is an art which needs to be embraced more than ever.

Sometimes it’s the smallest markets that are the most innovative, and in baseball the Milwaukee Brewers certainly fall into the category of smaller markets, bigger ideas for fans.  For several years the club has created a cult following by creating scavenger hunts in the spring around the city for little gnomes looking like their beloved mascot Bernie Brewer. Fans would scatter out to find each hidden collectable, with a special prize connected to the beloved trinkets. Many times, within minutes, the trophies would even go viral and find their way on to eBay, helping create a pretty unique secondary market for the Brewers brand regardless of how they were faring on the field. The promotion drew lots of buzz and gave fans a special extra as baseball came into focus in Wisconsin.

This past week the Brew Crew continued the tradition with a little tasty expansion. The club placed thousands of sausage ornaments across the area around Miller Park,  as part of their innovative “Spring Madness” promotion.  Fans were tipped to the promo when earlier in the week, their famous polish sausage was missing from their nighty and popular race around the infield during the game. The result was a hunt that spread virally to help find the sausage somewhere in Miller Park. The popular activity had people lined up on a weekday at 5 am, all with the hopes of grabbing an ornament even before heading to work. Thousands disappeared in a few hours, and the secondary marketplace for the unique and limited collectables again heated up.

The promotion didn’t have lots of flash and a big marketing spend behind it. It took place at a time of year where the other professional teams, and the regions colleges, are in a lull. And it also hit just when the weather was starting to warm up and fans of sport are starting to think more about baseball.  Would it work in a major market? The numbers may get out of control to manage for people looking for something free.  Maybe also major market teams would not see the value in the giveaway like their smaller market cousins. However the Brewers understand their fan base and what motivates them to turn out on a spring morning and show their loyalty to their hometown team, albeit for some freebees. Those freebees can turn into sales down the line, and the collectable hanging around the house is a nice reminder for casual fans on who has been there for them when they have some disposable income to push out during the summer. Scavenger hunts,  even in a high tech would, always seem to have added value despite the logistical concerns, and they tie greatly to the traditions of baseball, which for all of its advances is still an activity steeped in tradition. Maybe Silicon Valley millennials would thumb their ipads at a trek for some trinkets, but in Milwaukee, the promo seems to work just fine.

Sometimes a little positive spirit can go a long way in enhancing a fledgling business model. In sport, an intriguing model this spring is Women’s Professional Soccer. Now with a third try, the skeptical can look at the venture, which is being run not by outside entities or deep pocketed business executives with an eye on sports glory, but by  The US Soccer Federation. The positive will look at this cost controlled, tightly managed startup as either being a case of “Third time is a charm,” or “three strikes and you’re out”  out as women’s soccer tries to find a viable business plan in North America.

This first to tries at a professional league followed the glory of major international success, especially at the Women’s World Cup level. Investors rushed in with deep pockets and big plans hoping to make a big splash, and in both cases what splashed were millions of dollars down the tube.  Despite some good ideas at marketing; cities, times, stadia and the marketplace wasn’t really understood, and the best effort of core fans, supporters and athletes left the ventures in tatters.

This latest venture, The National Women’s Soccer League is more about the buildup to World Cup in 2015 in Canada and Rio 2016 than trying to capture past glory. It is cost controlled, limited national exposure and big on all things grassroots. There is no bluster about being the best and most exciting sports league, men or women, it is all about managing expectations and taking little steps.

Some clubs like the Portland Thorns have helped draw from the marketing success of their MLS partners. That has resulted in some added exposure as the league launched, with an expertise in selling and marketing the game of soccer itself that wasn’t as proficient in other iterations. Other teams, like Sky Blue FC in New Jersey, are almost operating in a vacuum between MLS franchises in New York and Philadelphia, and are hoping to carve their own slow and steady growth with minimal support.

However a great example of finding its spot appears to be hanging in suburban Maryland, where the Washington Spirit, with minimal sponsors and even less media support, are using old fashioned door to door sales and branding techniques, combined with some effective digital tools, to find a platform to grow from.

To date, the club has had some great success with clubs and leagues having special “nights” as a group. Youth leagues have hosted “sportsmanship award nights,” where the leagues pay for the tickets for coach/players of the team in each age group and division that wins the sportsmanship award (least red/yellow card cautions in the season).  “Youth Experiences” have also been simple and every effective for the Spirit as well as capitalizing on the fan base that followed and successfully engaged with women’s soccer in its prior successful stops in the area.

A lot of this is a carbon copy of what many MLS sales teams have been doing for years, including D.C. United, to much success. The difference, according to The Spirit, is there are MORE girls playing youth soccer than boys, but they don’t go out to see MLS in near the numbers as boy’s teams.  So cultivating that audience and getting them to engage has been key.

More importantly, the club has carved out a blueprint of tangible programs which brands and fans can actually see when they come to an event. There is no guesswork, what there is is some proven success and best practices in everything from social activation to potential brand partnerships. This approach with minimal cost outlay, combined with the fact that the women’s league can legitimately claim they have the best players in the world, has resulted in larger projected crowds to date, almost 4,000 per game, in their intimate Maryland home.

The next and biggest challenge will come not in the short term, but in the long term. And this success with minimal outlay be replicated in every market, and can the Spirit take their ideas and turn them into ROI. The best thing they have going for them that their predecessors did not have is time and the lack of…money. Lean budgets will help extend the window for potential success, as the burn rate is very much lower than at any point before in women’s pro soccer history in North America.

Now all that DC success this far doesn’t mean this will work. The amount of startup sports that have been successful in the US for the long term in in the past 20 years us exactly…one. MLS, with maybe the WNBA a second to some degree. No money for marketing means big challenges, and those challenges include getting enough fans out for break even.

Still with those issues, it appears that on the franchise level the latest iteration of women’s pro soccer is looking forward for its wins, not back, and that is a positive step worth watching.

As the NBA and NHL Playoffs heat up, the Triple Crown heads towards its second league, baseball moves along, college’s spring sports move into their postseason, soccer hits its stride in North America and wraps up across Europe, bowling tries to find its niche for awareness and growth.

Bowling? Yes bowling. Still enjoyed by millions in a world where things still need to be done yesterday and a younger generation is all about mobile, bowling is fighting as a brand to try and stay more relevant but generating buzz through some new partnerships.

The first one, which will formally get rolling this week, is with NASCAR and Pocono Raceway. This week approximately 2,100 participating bowling centers nationwide will launch an integrated marketing and awareness campaign tied to the GoBowling.com 400, which will take place at “The Tricky Triangle” in August.  The winner will receive round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations and VIP tickets to the race all designed to link participants to NASCAR fans.

The deal was created between Pocono Raceway and Strike Ten Entertainment, the sponsorship activation arm of the bowling industry, and will try and link two core fan groups…NASCAR and bowling.  At first glance it seems to make sense…brands that try and spend against one should enjoy the other…beer, snack foods, family entertainment, soft drinks etc…and bowling’s audience is still not as brand heavy as NASCAR’s. Both groups are also trying to figure out deeper digital engagement with fans, and although bowling is obviously more participatory, it would seem fans of one can beget the other.

The program will also include the GoBowling.com 400 “Stop Your Thirst & Start The Race” Sweepstakes, which will provide one grand prize winner with an opportunity to be selected as the ‘Honorary Race Starter’ for the GoBowling.com 400 on August 4, 2013 at Pocono Raceway, earning the right to wave the green flag that will officially start the 400-mile race.  The partnership program will also include a series of GoBowling.com-themed bowling league promotional contests and in-center marketing elements, as well as other initiatives to be rolled out across the more than 4,000 participating bowling centers.

Pocono also makes good sense because of its physical location, so close to the New York and Philadelphia markets, still key demo areas for bowling and a very important touch point for NASCAR as it continues to find ways to always improve its relationship with Madison Avenue. It is a partnership that makes sense to try, linking the two sports in a solid and well marketed and strongly targeted push.

Then there is the celebrity side of the sport, and the “team” concept that bowling launched this past year, bringing in celebrity athletes like the LA Clippers Chris Paul and others to raise awareness with casual sports fans.  This past week the name to surface was former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, who has been eyeing a return to the NFL, and leveraged that news through bowling.

Owens made his United States Bowling Congress Open Championships debut at the National Bowling Stadium Wednesday in Texas, and is celebrity owner of the Dallas Strikers. So leveraging one to gain exposure for the other was timely during a quiet period for the NFL and a key engagement  point for bowling.

Now what a “celebrity” owner really does, other that promos and rolling some frames, isn’t really clear, but it isn’t important anyway. Neither is the concept of “team” pro bowling with celebrities.

What is important is that bowling is trying to find ways to not just stay relevant but to grow in a very challenging environment. Whether they work for the long haul remains to be seen, but they certainly seem to be thought out and not outlandish money spends to hit some core audiences. Certainly some stories worth following for a sport that had been down but is looking to strike back.

Saturday night millions watched on NBC as Orb overcame a very muddy track to win the Run For the Roses for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaghey.   The horse came from deep in the pack over the final quarter mile for the legendary win, and set himself and his owners up for two weeks of hype before the second leg of the Triple Crown, The Preakness Stakes comes along.

The Kentucky Derby remains the horse racing industry’s shining moment for the casual fan, and the kickoff to what the National Thoroughbred Racing Association hopes is a landmark summer that could lead through the Belmont stakes, into a long summer at parks across the country, and then to the Breeder’s Cup in California. Lots of ups and downs, millions gambled legally, and another attempt to continue to revive a business which has seen better days but us fighting to rebound with a new legion of fans.

One of those ways is to leverage its biggest windows with brands that may not have activated in the space for very long, and we saw that on Saturday, when Louisville based YUM! Brands took the presenting sponsor and lots of exposure to Churchill Downs. Now the YUM! brands…KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and others, spend millions in brand activation against sports over the course of the year, and at first glance, the Derby may have been seen as another engagement point, albeit with a slightly different audience that may tune in for the NBA or NFL or college football.  However this was not really what the YUM! partnership for the Derby appeared to be about.

The signage in some places mentioned the company’s consumer brands, but the primary placement, including on each horse, was for YUM! itself. The commercial spots during the race were about the company and its global franchises, not chalupas or slices of pizza. It was a call to action for corporate, not consumer. Why?

First, the support of the Derby, like the money spent on other projects involving sport and consumers around Louisville, helps solidify the company as good public citizens. Big time sports come to Louisville, YUM! supports and helps grow the tradition. Second, the Derby audience is different than most other events one of the YUM! companies would support. It is a little older, a little more global, and one which the dollar figures spent on the activity in gambling, are right up front. Maybe this audience is one that looks more to business buys than a traditional sports audience. So tell then your story. There was no direct pitch to come buy a franchise, but the message time and again became pretty clear. Here is what we are, here is who we are, here are out global faces that run our business, we are growing and maybe…you want to find out more.

Chances are most tuning in knew Stella Artois at least a little, and know what Longines is. But YUM? Maybe not. So the parent company used the opportunity not to sell tacos, but to sell itself.  It was an interesting play in corporate identity rarely seen on a big stage.  Not overt but clearly targeted to raise awareness not as much for thick crust or wings, but for selling a franchise or two.  Will it pay off? Hard to tell as there was not a collection point of data, at least publicly, and there was no place to drive interest either in signage or in broadcast.  Regardless YUM! showed they are good corporate citizens for Louisville with a desire to grow even bigger than they are, and they found an interesting audience to try and tell their story to.

So the NHL rocketed into the playoffs this week, the third straight winter that a league leveraged a lockout to more excitement, social media buzz, and brand equity for fans of short memory. First it was the NFL, which lost offseason and preseason before settling, then the NBA ramped up at Christmas, and now hickey moved into 2013 before it got things in order. For those who have said that shorter seasons breed excitement without pushing fans too far, they once again may be right.

Now for better or worse the NHL had lots of data and experience, both empirical and anecdotal, to know what and how to get things rolling and how to communicate with fans. In lockouts past, silence was golden, and that led to a lot of hurt feelings and backlash against the sport that was in court and boardrooms instead of playing. This time out the NHL and the NHLPA, as soon as the LA Kings lifted last year’s Stanley Cup, were already prepping fans and brands for the rainy day which came.

As training camps did not open and the season was delayed, teams used all their social channels, as well as alumni and other assets to try and jeep fans as engaged as possible. Broadcasts of minor league games, free skating sessions in arena, and loads of community work trued to soften the blows, and there was always a flow of social media to discuss what was or wasn’t going on in negotiations. The NHL also had the unique situation of having gone through extended lockouts before, and even casual fans seem to have come to expect labor strife to enter into the daily doings of their favorite sports now. It is less shock, and probably more acceptance.

The league and teams also pulled no pinches with brand partners…they communicated effectively and clearly and made sure that “make goods” were to be in order once play did resume. Although the league’s hallmark event, the Winter Classic, was lost, as was the All-Star Game, fans expectations of a return to the ice probably wavered less than at any point during any other labor stoppage.

So what was the result when the game came back? Attendance rose, digital engagement improved, TV ratings held firm, the intensity of a short season took over, rivalries heated up *since there was no play out of conference), and the interest in Brand NHL held strong going into the playoffs.

The league also got a nice bump with a playoff return for some key markets, most notably Toronto after nine years out of the playoffs, and a stronger team in Montreal (facing rival Ottawa in round one), so that Canada’s national sport seemed to be returning with even bigger ad stringer interest than before. In the States, the New York islanders surprising push to the playoffs, bolstered by their impending move from Long island to the promotion-crazy Brooklyn and the record start of perhaps the most cohesive hockey business in the game, the Chicago Blackhawks, was also a very big plus in generating buzz and interest.  Drop in hickey towns like St, Louis, New York, and Boston, and even with a city like Philly on the outside looking in, many of the essentials for major market success seem to have found their way into an exciting NHL run.

Of course there is always a downside to any lockout and its unpredictable end. Brands that have done extensive planning with creative programs in past years were thwarted in their execution this season, and the lack of interdivisional play certainly hurt the national marketing of some of the game’s greatest stars as much as it helped enhance rivalries. The continued uncertainty of the Sochi Olympics still remains, but an unveiling of multiple outdoor games, including one to cross promote with the Super Bowl in New York, will ramp up some long term enhancements for brand NHL next fall.

In the end, fans and brands and broadcast partners want the content and the excitement of top level play.  The NHL pushed the envelope probably to the brink this time but in the end the game survived and seems to thrive again. End of the day, that’s what will bring the casual spend back. Fans may have short tempers these days, but in the case of work stoppages, they seem to have even sorter memories, and for the big business of North American sport, that is probably a good thing.

Independent League baseball has its challenges. Without the guiding hand, and finances of Major League Baseball, the clubs are subject more and more to a fickle economy and casual dollars that may or may not believe that “future stars” are unfolding before their eyes every night, as opposed to a host of never-beens who are holding on for a few dollars just to play a few more innings.

However in some cases, the leagues that have survived the longest have actually been some of the most innovative in professional sports. No MLB “Big Brother” looking in means they can be a little more edgy, have players a little older and sometimes have games even more competitive than traditional than affiliated  minor league teams. There are few restrictions placed on managers with pitch counts and innings played, so the games have a little higher competitiveness, and with the Indy teams sometimes a last stop for players, there is sometimes an even heightened competitiveness that is sometimes lacking in affiliated teams, especially at the lower levels. While all minor league teams have to be creative in getting fans out for the experience of a night at the ballpark, it is the Indy league teams that have to watch each and every dollar, especially since in many cases the owner of the team has the whole P and L, from salaries of players and staff to hot dog roles.

Every once in a while you will also see a former star looking for a last shot surface at one of the Independent League teams, as opposed to signing on with an affiliated organization where he won’t get a full or long look. It may be a little more money, but the focus is on developing future players with affiliated teams, not in the one shot for former MLB players. The Indy Leagues are about today, about winning, and about the experience for fans.   

So into that entrepreneurial spirit is the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. one of the steadiest and oldest independent leagues in North America. With teams around many major markets, the Atlantic League has gotten its share of coverage, and wayward stars over the years, but this year the league is setting out to be even more innovative with baseball in general, by tackling one of the sports’ biggest complaints. Length of games.

How are they going to try and do it?

•    Strike Zone - The Strike Zone defined in the Major League Official Rules will be called by Atlantic League umpires in 2013. In practice, despite the rulebook definition, professional baseball pitches above the belt are generally called a “ball” these days. In the past, the Official Rules Strike Zone was called and the Atlantic League would like to attempt to measure the effect of calling the existing rule on pace of the games. The objective of enforcing the Rule Book Strike Zone is to see if this will reduce number of pitches in a game and to speed up play by encouraging hitters to put balls in play earlier in the count.

•    Hitters – Existing Rule 6.02 prohibiting hitters intentionally leaving the batter’s box and delaying the game will be enforced.  Managers and umpires shall strongly encourage hitters to be ready to bat, and hitters shall minimize time between pitches. Hitters are not to step out of the batter’s box after every pitch. Public Address announcers must stop player walk out music once the hitter enters dirt area around home plate. After a warning, umpires may call a ‘Strike’ for additional violations.

•    Pitcher Warms Ups – Existing Rule 8.03 which states “Pitchers will be allowed eight (8) warm up pitches, but shall not consume more than one (1) minute” will now be enforced, as will Existing Rule 8.04 which states “when the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball.” After a warning, each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call ‘Ball’.

•    Time between Half Innings – Existing Rule 9.05 regarding “keeping the game moving” will be enforced. Umpires and Official Scorers shall monitor time from the making of last out until first pitch of next half inning is thrown. Goal is 90 seconds or less instead of the existing 120 to 150 seconds.

•    Frequent Visits to the Mound – During the first half of the 2013 season, the Atlantic League will also be evaluating whether modifications to the rules regarding mound visits by the manager, coaches, and position players should be added to the experimental program. While this evaluation is being made, managers have been requested to attempt to minimize mound visits and, where feasible, make pitching changes between innings rather than during an inning.

•    Game Reports – Within 24 hours following the end of any nine inning game that exceed 2 hours 45 minutes, a written report describing what events caused the game to exceed the 2 hour 45 minutes must be sent to the League Office, by each Manager, Umpires, home club General Manager and Official Scorer.

•    Enforcement – This experimental program is a cooperative effort involving all Atlantic League players, Managers, Coaches, Umpires and Front Office. The League expects voluntary compliance and does not anticipate needing enforcement actions that might disturb the flow or integrity of the Game. As data is collected and evaluated adjustments to this program may be made from time to time.

Now from a business standpoint, sometimes longer games mean more concessions consumed, but the goal of the experiment is to draw the repeat customer, one who will see this as speaking directly to their busy lifestyles and will keep them coming back for a few hours at a clip, vs. three or four.

The move also opens up even more sponsorable items for teams…each change brings a host of new ways to promote and keep the game moving at a reasonable clip. If the changes stick, they could get adopted and tried elsewhere, which projects the Atlantic League as innovative and thoughtful about the game. If they fail, it is another good try by clubs looking to get exposure and try and find ways to improve the fan experience.

Now in no way do Indy teams detract from the fan experience of affiliated minor league teams. They complement each other well and often borrow ideas back and forth. However for a league looking to gain marketshare and cut through the clutter, some time adjustments will help, and the Atlantic League has the time to give it a try.

Time for a little best practices roundup from the past few days…from Arizona to New Jersey…

Stunts Gone Wrong Still Pay Off: There is the adage that any publicity is good publicity, so the Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League should take note. The minor league team sent its captain and three members of the front office staff aloft on a scissor lift with a vow not to come down until they sold 300 season tickets. Trouble is season subs for hockey are hard to find in the desert, and five days layer they hadn’t hit their goal.

With a small ad budget the hope was that the stunt would go viral and drive sales, and after a slow start they came close without ever coming down. While the team didn’t hit their number they did get the exposure they were looking for, with Fox Sports and Deadspin, grabbing the story, which made for a PR coups for the Phoenix Coyotes affiliate. Viral as many have learned doesn’t equate into dollars right away usually, but it put their brand forward and may lead to more creativity and a bigger payoff down the line. Maybe they won’t get full season subs, bit the creativity led to casual exposure and maybe an additional sponsor or two, as well as individual game sales as well. Bottom line, while some may deem the promo a failure, it was un reality a great success on many levels…with over 200 season subs during a week when the team would have been an afterthought, as well as some great viral and local press, play on Sundogs, great example of spinning a negative into a plus.

 Chiefs Go To The Fans: One of the positives if having the first pick in the NFL Draft is the ability to plan outreach a little better than those picking behind you. You also are usually the worst team in the league from the year before, so there is a lot of work to be done with casual fans and brand restoration. The Kansas City Chiefs found another way to go one step farther in grabbing some props with fans and also getting some additional national exposure.

Moments after the team selected offensive lineman Eric Fisher as the top puck in the draft they made him available first…to their fans instead of the local media. Ten season-ticket holders entered a makeshift studio at the team’s training complex to ask Fisher questions via a Google Plus Hangout, one of several platforms the property had created with the NFL and the NFLPA this past week…

The fans from as far away as Wisconsin and Iowa, lined up, slipped on headsets, stared into a laptop and found Fisher staring one on one with them.  The questions ranged from his interest in the city to his knowledge of Chiefs history. Not hard hitting journalism but a nice perk for those who may need a little more ROI and TLC from the downtrodden team.

 Maybe a few years ago this type of access to fans first would have been pooh pooed by the local media on deadline. Now it was accepted. It took less than 10 minutes, didn’t slow down the access to media by a great amount of time, was not done behind closed doors and was a feel good for all. Media got all the access needed after the brief interlude, which other years could have been done in a back room at Radio City Music Hall before Fisher entered a spot to do his first presser, so it was all transparent, and it sent the message that the team is liking to perk their fans, and that they understand the need for more access.

 Little damage, good upside and another innovation dropped into play through technology. A winning move by a team that needs more wins on the field and off.

 Rutgers Wins For Sandy:  The past winter has not been overly kind to Rutgers athletes on a national scale. However on Saturday the football team scored some much needed points with its community, wearing jerseys with the names of all the towns affected by Super Storm Sandy on player’s uniforms for their annual spring game. The team also dropped a “B” on their helmets for the tragedy in Boston, and carried out a series of recognition programs to raise money and awareness for the victims in their state still struggling to recover from the devastating storm. New Jersey seems to be all about recovery from tragedy of all kinds this spring, and the Scarlet Knights, in a time where it seems college athletic uniforms are all about bold and silly fashion statements, took the time to make a statement of their own for the people of their state. Good messaging and effective promotion, a nice legacy statement crated by former Athletic Director Tim Pernetti.